Death of Democracy? Napa County Planning Commission brainstorms ways to be more efficient

Many of us who have participated in County Planning Commission meetings agree that there should be a better way to have our voices heard, have confidence that our concerns matter, and balance the time and process given to the applicant and the public.

The Planning Commission met on Dec 20, 2017, intending to devise a more efficient process. Sadly the process they agreed upon is not one that encourages and facilitates public participation.

The outcome of the Dec 20th meeting is a revised set of rules. Here are just a few:

*Codifies timelines for both the applicant and the public. Applicant has a cumulative 15 minutes, with an option to extend upon request. Applicant may make a presentation and then rebut information presented by the public. In contrast, the public has no right to rebut the Applicant’s points.The public has 3 minutes with an option to be reduced to 2 minutes. The public is not notified of the reduction in speaker time until the public speaking segment of the hearing begins.

*Applicant and the public must submit electronic material (most often PowerPoint presentations) 24 hours in advance of the meeting. BUT only the applicant has an option to submit a supplement to the clerk prior to the meeting.
There is no provision for public sharing of electronic material submitted 24 hours in advance. This allows for sharing only upon request, such as by the Applicant, with an opportunity for the Applicant to comment on public presentations before they occur.

*Prevents public speakers from allocating their time to another speaker. This has traditionally been done to designate experts to speak more effectively about the subject.

One change not included is to expand the noticing timeline. Today, regardless of when notices go out, agendas are published on the County website on Fridays. – This often leaves little time to contact staff, applicants, or other concerned members of the public. This can lead to the late delivery of relevant documents necessary for public input and sometimes leads to delays in decisions.

We wonder: Are the changes really aimed at streamlining the process—or stifling public participation?

Harris Nussbaum

says on:

January 19, 2018 at 5:59 am

Please note, I will be away and cannot attend the meeting Jan 23, 2018 to make comment about the Planning Commission eliminating citizens right to make comments and speak at meetings in order to “streamline the process” . Now comments are limited to only 3 minutes, which is barely time to make a point. It doesn’t seem legal to deny the public the right to speak and make comment. It certainly isn’t the democratic process. I can’t imagine you-the Board of Supervisors allowing that to happen to the people you represent.
Thank you,
Harris

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Established in January 2015 by neighbors from throughout the county to protect the quality of life for Napa County’s citizens and the rich biodiversity of our natural environment, known as ‘The Commons’. We joined together to confront the challenges of inappropriate development in the Agricultural Preserve, the Agricultural Watershed and in our cities and towns